It wasn’t quite the world championships he was hoping for but British sprinter Adam Gemili will finally get his chance to take on Usain Bolt at the London stadium tomorrow.

Adam, 23, was devastated to miss out on the individual sprint events at London 2017 due to injury, but as a consolation he will be running for Team GB in the 4x100m relay. The event final tomorrow evening will be Usain Bolt's farewell race.

It’s been a difficult few weeks for Adam, who was tipped to be one of Team GB’s biggest stars at London 2017. As the reigning European 200m champion, he had high hopes of getting on the podium this time after losing out on 100m Olympic bronze by three thousandths of a second in Rio.

Adam Gemili poses with the London 2017 mascot Hero the Hedgehog (Image: Getty)

However, he failed to automatically qualify for the world championships after struggling with a leg injury and coming sixth at the UK trials in July, and the selectors opted to give the 200m wild card slot to Zharnel Hughes instead.

The decision was hugely frustrating for Adam, coming just as Usain Bolt's dominance of sprint is ending . ‘‘It’s unfortunate for the sport Usain is retiring, his global reach for the sport is unbelievable, but there will be a hole which is a good opportunity for young sprinters like myself,’ says Adam, speaking at a press day for his role as a Müller ambassador .

‘There are people across the world who will try to fill that position, carry his mantle, be the new best thing. I’ll be one of those guys.’

Bolt has been both a friend and a rival to Adam during their years together on the athletics circuit. ‘I have been lucky enough to know him, he’s a really cool, normal guy,’ says Adam. ‘On race day you’re by yourself, you just want to beat everyone, but off the track it’s different. We all know each other.’

Adam came onto the circuit aged 18 when he made the decision to give up the chance of a football career and focus on athletics. ‘I was at Chelsea [youth club] before they had a lot of money invested into them, and all of sudden Roman Abramovich came in. It was crazy to see. The money in football is nothing compared to anything I’ve ever seen before, but I don’t play sport for the money, it’s more about loving what you do. For me, I love athletics, I wouldn’t go back to football.

‘We were talking the other day whether you’d want to win the World Cup with England or Olympic gold medal with Team GB, and for me it’s Olympic gold.’

While missing out on the individual events was a disappointment, Adam believes he has the mental strength to use setbacks to his advantage. ‘I’m lucky enough to work with a great psychologist, and the mental side of the sport is one of my strongest parts,’ he says.

‘I use Rio as fuel and a reminder that I was so close. It’s very doable. You just have to believe, and have commitment and trust in your own ability. Everything I do now is for Tokyo and beyond.’

Adam Gemili is a Müller ambassador and supporting the brand’s campaign to inspire the next generation to have fun with sport. See mullerathletics2017.com